Media Archive

“Fingersmith” has a lot of moving parts — even after you account for the turntable built into the set, the carefully coordinated video projections, and the mid-scene costume changes. There’s also the dense, twisty story itself, in which one view of events is enacted only to be jostled aside by competing versions, and the reliability of narrators is repeatedly questioned.

This holiday season, it’s gratifying to encounter at least one Victorian-era entertainment that doesn’t end with wassail, Tiny Tim and his crutch.

Fingersmith is a richly told page-turner of a novel, and Junge’s edge-of-your seat adaptation faithfully translates its surprise-packed storyline and adds dashes of humor to its sinister atmosphere.

Very dark indeed, with a sterling roster of designers all contributing in setting just the right atmosphere to let this Victorian thriller flourish.

Full of surprises, twists and turns, the plot is as engaging as the characters are complex.

Junge’s Herculean effort capsulizes the 582-page opus into a taut two-hour drama enhanced by exceptional performances and outstanding production design.

In a world dominated by men, Sue, Maud, and Mrs. Sucksby emerge as powerful women, giving this Victorian tale a strong feminist undercurrent.

Take a neck brace with you: There are so many whiplash-inducing twists in “Fingersmith” that you may need it.

With it’s polemic political message, The Plough and the Stars has pulled back the myopic lense through which we usually watch theatre by giving us more to examine than other Boston premiers this year. This must have been what epic theatre felt like during Bertolt Brecht’s time.